Almost exactly once year ago, I got my first full-time job out of college. Not only that, but it was also exactly the job I wanted. After years of busting my ass in high school and college, getting countless part-time jobs and internships, upon my college graduation I could finally say I made it. All that hard work had paid off. A few months later I had settled in to, not only my new role at work, but also a new apartment up in Portland. I had started fresh and was enjoying the ride. But one question lurked in the back of my mind…
Now what?
You see when I was in school the question was always: “What internship am I going to get next? What classes would I take next semester? How could I get more prepared?” However now that I landed the perfect job and I realized my “next step” was to stick around, I came upon an important realization: I needed to start living in the present.
Thus My Yes Year was born. It feels weird to give yourself the freedom to do what you want, and I remember telling my college friend, somewhat guiltily: “I am going to use my vacation days to actually take a vacation!”
I researched so many amazing countries that I could visit, but ultimately I decided upon Ireland. My mother’s family comes from Ireland and I grew up indulging in the Irish heritage. I took almost five years of Irish Step Dancing (I was pretty good at it too), and my family would attend an Irish Ceili each year in March to partake in traditional Irish music, dancing, and food.
So in March I booked my round-trip ticket.
Ticket. Singular.
I decided this would be a solo adventure.
I was actually inspired by my friend Mira, who had taken a solo trip to France the year before. She decided on a whim she was going to go and visit some family she had there, while exploring the country, and working on her art.
I decided what better way to see the world? I had recently hit the refresh button on my life, and needed some time to reflect. This would be like my own Eat, Pray, Love experience, but make it Irish...
Let's go with: Cliffs, Sheep, and Beer
I booked bus tours so that I wouldn’t be completely on my own, plus this would be a great way for me to meet people from all over the world. As you’ll see throughout my posts I really wasn’t alone for much of my solo trip to Ireland. Although the solo experiences I had were extremely rewarding, empowering, and thought provoking.
People say it all the time but I truly think everyone should travel solo at least once in their life. It is a time to reflect on not only who you are as a person, but how you live your life. You are able to open your mind and heart to new people, new places, and new adventures. And I really believe that travel makes you a better and more understanding human being.
We should all strive for that.
Day 1 – Guinness Storehouse, Dublin Castle, Temple Bar
I arrived in Dublin at 7 AM, groggy and jetlagged from my overnight flight. I had hoped to sleep during most of the six-hour journey, but I had only gotten two hours of non-continuous shut-eye on the flight over. Maybe it was the anticipation, the stuffy cabin air, or a combination of the two. Either way I knew I would be running on adrenaline as I powered through my first day in Dublin.
I had decided to stay in hostels throughout my trip, a different one each night, for two reasons. One: they are so much cheaper than a hotel or a bed and breakfast, especially when traveling through Europe. And two: if I was going to claim to be backpacking, I planned to live how the backpackers live. Or at least try.
Note: Hostels are not as scary as they are made out to be. I think they are a great option for the cheap traveler who will only be in town for a short time. Check out my blog post here for everything you need to know about booking your first hostel.
After dropping my bags at the hostel and munching on the free toast in the kitchen, I grabbed my phone, camera, and wallet, and headed to my first stop of the day: the Guinness Storehouse.
A few days later on my bus tour I heard a couple describe the Guinness Storehouse as the “Disneyland of Beer,” and I think that is the most accurate way to describe it. The museum is a seven-story building, in the shape of a pint no less, that is dedicated to everything Guinness. From the science behind brewing the beer all the way through to advertising, each floor leaves its visitors with a new appreciation for the country’s most famous stout.
All tours of the museum are self-guided and you are welcome to stay as long as you would like. There is a natural flow of the museum that leads you from the first floor all the way up to the famous Gravity Bar. There is even a café midway through the museum so you can grab a bite to eat along the way.
One of the highlights for me was learning how to pour your own perfect pint of “the black stuff.” I have taken a few brewery tours in Maine, so I am familiar with the basic science behind brewing a local beer, but Guinness is different.
When fresh out of the tap, the stout is a light brown color, unrecognizable despite the fact that it’s been poured in a Guinness branded glass. After the pint has been poured three-quarters of the way, it must sit on the bar for a few minutes to allow the mixture to settle. It is quite mesmerizing to watch the nitrogen bubbles settle in the glass, changing the color of the stout from tan to the dark, black color we are all familiar with. Once the pint has settled, it is ready to be topped off and enjoyed.
I enjoyed my complimentary pint, which I poured myself, in the Gravity Bar located at the top of the Storehouse. This bar offers 360 °views of the city of Dublin, along with descriptions on the windows of what you are looking at. It is a quick way to get a brief history of the city, all while enjoying a fresh pint of Guinness.
I had decided to walk around Dublin today in order to see most of the city. My thirty-minute walk to the Storehouse had gone by quickly, but the walk back felt longer, especially when you’re bogged down by souvenirs. Along the way home I stopped briefly at Christ Church Cathedral, but realized I didn’t have enough cash for a tour of the premises. So I snapped a few photos before heading back to the hostel to drop my souvenirs and look for lunch.
After a delicious serving of fish and chips, I decided to walk off some of the extra calories I would surely be eating, and drinking, throughout my trip. After a short aimless stroll through Temple Bar I found myself on the outskirts of Dublin Castle, and decided why not take a look around?
A small bridge leads you from the heart of Dublin and immediately transports you back in time as you step into the courtyard of the Castle. The site used to be the center of English administration until the Republic of Ireland was formed in 1921. The castle also served many other purposes including serving as the State Treasury, State Mint, House of Parliament, police and army barracks, weapons storage, and even a prison!
I decided to take a self-guided tour of the inside of the Castle and it did not disappoint. Each room was presented as it would have been intended for use back in the 1800’s, with classic drawing rooms, bedrooms, and even a ballroom. Some of the rooms in the castle are still used by the Irish government today for special occasions and photo opportunities.
I almost missed seeing the Dublin Castle Gardens, as it is located out of sight behind the museum. The garden is enclosed in stone walls with a large patch of grass in the center. This grassy patch is located near the original dubh linn, or black pool of water where the Vikings landed in Ireland. It is from this term where the city of Dublin gets its name. There are four smaller gardens within the walls, each designated as memorial gardens. The serenity of the gardens provides an escape from the busy city that lies outside of those stone walls, so you will often find both local and tourists strolling through the gardens on a nice day.
As the sun began to set over Dublin Castle on my first official night in Ireland, I decided to end my evening drinking and dancing in the section of Dublin that never sleeps: Temple Bar.
Despite the claim that the Temple Bar Neighborhood is extremely touristy, if you are visiting Dublin…Temple Bar is exactly the place you want to be. The cobblestoned streets house a pub on every corner, with live music pouring out of the doors, and fresh beer pouring out of their taps. The buildings seem narrow and small, but in reality… they build up here in Dublin. You can often find that a pub that looks modest from the outside curb, actually has three or four levels of entertainment ready to be indulged in.
The pubs are always crowded in Temple Bar, because they are full of both tourists and locals alike, but the environment is everything you would expect and more from Ireland. Musicians perform in the pubs for hours at a time, chugging Guinness throughout their set, as if it were water. Singing, clapping, and dancing are requirements in these bars. But don’t worry, you won’t be able to resist the beat of the fiddle as it plays you an Irish jig.
And don’t forget to stop in to Temple Bar, the actual bar, while staying in Dublin. It is the most famous bar in the city, and while it is usually cramped and a bit overpriced, the atmosphere of that pub cannot be beat. Every stranger becomes a friend, eager to share a story, a smile, or a song with the person next to them. It is a warm environment, and not just because of the amount of people that are jammed onto the dance floor.
There’s a certain feeling of euphoria that I think one can only experience in an Irish pub in Dublin.
I made sure to soak in every moment of that feeling.
To be continued...
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